for power, with at least 200 pounds of cargo, I would be lucky
to average 13 mph. That would be in bike-racer condition, and
I wouldn’t want to do it every day. Adding electric assist was
the only way I could accomplish all of my goals on this project.

I chose the BionX SL 350 HT DT XL. That’s a lot of acronyms
that basically means a 350-watt rear-hub motor powered by a

48-volt 8. 8 amp-hour battery. Overall weight for the kit is 16.1
pounds. Assist levels are 35, 75, 150 and 300 percent. I chose
the battery option that mounts on the downtube of the frame.

THE PARTS PICK

For rims, I chose aluminum Velocity Cliffhangers with
reflective coating. I’ve found Velocity rims to be among the
absolute toughest available. I once rode one, without a tire
on it, for an entire lap of a World Cup mountain bike race.
There were large boulders on the course, and my lap time was
comparable to my previous laps with a tire. And even though
the rim was no longer usable, it was still true and round!
When I saw that Velocity had essentially this same rim with a
reflective coating to be more visible at night, I got a pair and
laced them up with DT Swiss spokes.

When it came to choosing brakes, I didn’t hesitate a
moment; I needed discs. As the guy who always said,
“V-brakes are all you need,” this was definitely out of
character for me. The thing is, when you’ve got kids as cargo
(often more than one), why mess around with old-school side-pull binders? I opted for a pair of mechanical Avid BB7s. There
are less-expensive discs on the market that stop great (and
some that are more expensive and stop even better), but I’ve
found that few are as easy on the fingers as the Avids, and
they are nowhere near as expensive as hydraulic brakes.

So with all this stop-and-go power, what was I going totrust the all-important contact patch to? I wanted a tire thatwas wide, had low-rolling resistance, was made with electricassist as part of the design process, was quiet, and alsolooked cool. I found all of those with the Michelin Pilot Sportfolding tire in 26×2.3. The tread pattern on these Michelinsis derived from Moto GP motorcycletires. They look more like motorcycletires than bicycle tires.

A NEW CHAPTER

As I built the Yuba Mundo with the
BionX motor, spec’d out the way I
wanted, my excitement steadily grew
with each passing hour in the garage.

Standing on its extremely solid centerstand (the Yuba kickstand is theburliest and best I’ve ever used on abicycle, and that is very important ona bike like this), the bike began to ridein my imagination. What was this newchapter in cycling going to be like?Strangely, when I spoke of thisproject to some of my performance-minded cycling friends, I could sense an immediate aversionon their part. I realized many of them didn’t understand whatbikes like the Yuba are for, or what they mean for the future.These are riders who have not yet grasped the conceptof what relying on a bike versus a car or motorcycle reallymeans. They may ride carbon racing bikes for a hundred milesover hill and dale, but outside of that, they don’t identify thebike as the true utility vehicle option that it is. Bicycles—theyaren’t just for recreation!

That’s when I knew this project was more than just valid.
I will admit that my new e-bike has truly brought me back to
the sport of cycling. It has opened my mind to so many new
possibilities of how to use a bicycle beyond purely recreational
use. I haven’t been this thrilled about cycling in nearly 20
years.

BRINGING THE KIDS INTO IT

Like me, I’m guessing that in some way, you, too, are
fascinated by bicycles; isn’t that one reason why you’re
reading this story? Attending the “Cyclepedia” exhibit at
the Portland Art Museum in August was eye-opening for
me. After 40 years of riding, racing and studying everything
bicycle-related, I thought I had seen it all. I hadn’t. I realized
that most of the “inventions” to make bicycles more efficient,
comfortable, and practical forms of transportation were
actually built and put into use in some form or fashion
decades before I was born.

Suspension, vibration dampening, and ways to carry kids
and gear have been worked on since humans first started
pushing pedals. Few things perplex the minds of engineers
and move the imagination of children like bicycles. When I
explained to my kids what an electric-assist bike is, I could
see their 10-year-old engineering minds trying to absorb the
concept. “So, you pedal and it goes?” they asked.

“When you pedal harder, it gives you more power, yes.” Ireplied. They weren’t sold. I asked them, “Do you want to goget some ice cream?” Jumping and screaming, they bounced“I will admit that my new e-bike has truly brought me back to thesport of cycling. […] Ihaven’t been this thrilledabout cycling in nearly20 years.”AMANAND HISCARGO BIKE